Mr. Doktorski’s Chess4Kidz Classes Now Offered Online!
Note: As of 2022 Online Classes have been discontinued.
Computer screen image of a checkmate from an actual game between students in Mr. Doktorski’s online Chess4Kidz class (May 14, 2020).
In response to the Covid-19 stay-at-home order, in March 2020 Mr. Doktorski began teaching his Chess4Kidz classes online. The format is exactly the same as his classroom classes. For the first 20-30 minutes, students attend a class on the online platform Zoom.us. After class, students then play against each other on Chess.com.
There are advantages and disadvantages of teaching classes online, but the advantages are substantial, especially because games on chess.com are recorded for posterity, and chess.com features a chess engine/algorithm/computer program which can analyze your game, point out excellent moves, good moves, questionable moves, and blunders, and it suggests better moves during analysis. This is an invaluable resource which helps students to study their games afterwards and learn from their mistakes. In fact, during Mr. Doktorski’s classes, he will often play through students’ games from the previous week, and all students can learn from the analysis.
Another advantage to having online classes is that students do not have to come to the classroom; they do not even have to live in California. Some of Mr. Doktorski’s former students from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have enrolled in his online classes and they love it! And there is no charge to attend zoom classes or play chess on chess.com. You can create accounts on these sites for free.
“Mr. Doktorski is an excellent chess instructor. He is kind, patient and very knowledgeable. He makes chess easy to understand and fun to play. My 7-year-old son has taken his class twice—once in a classroom setting and once online—and he loved them both. He has learned so much and has grown tremendously as a chess player. I’m so grateful that my son has this new skill and the confidence that comes from it.”—Anna K., Temescal Valley, California
“My son Justin really enjoys your class! He wants to continue studying chess with you in the future. The class has really motivated him to practice and play chess more often, which has been fun for the whole family.”—Erika Vaughan, Murrieta, California
“My son loves your class and your teaching. He’s grown so much this year with you! Thank you, thank you!”—Christina Voss, Yucaipa, California
“Mr. Doktorski, let me first start by thanking you for not only doing an outstanding job of teaching chess to our two boys, Carlos and Diego, but going above and beyond for our family. You are not only a great instructor for kids but you supported us through difficult times by taking extra time for many weeks to personally meet with our boys at a time which was more convenient for them. It was such a blessing during difficult times when our family was dealing with a serious illness. Regarding chess, they are literally ‘on fire’ for this game. We credit that to your passion and gift for teaching. You are patient, thoughtful, and make the game come to life. You have had a very positive impact on our kids, and they always look forward to engaging with your classes. As parents we greatly appreciate the impact you have had on our boys and helping to foster a love of chess and learning in general.”—Heidi Guillen, Perris, California
“My boys love chess classes with Henry. They’ve learned so much more than ‘just’ chess (though that’s a feat in itself!). They’ve learned to love the game, the history behind it, sportsmanship, and they’re even learning how to teach! Knowing how to play chess, through him, has enriched our lives in so many ways and we will always be grateful to Mr. Doktorski for that.”—Eme Zoller, Wildomar, California
For schedules and fees for Mr. Doktorski’s Online Chess4Kidz classes, please send an email to 